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Abergavenny Abergavenny FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG Abergavenny RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB The 28th April 2019 will live long in the memory of Abergavenny Rugby Football Club. The club which was founded in 1875 had reached a national final for the first time. The cup run had caught the imagination of the town and up to 2000 supporters made their way to the Principality Stadium to cheer the team home to an epic injury time win. This together with promotion into League 2 East has generated a very positive mood in and around the club. Towards the end of last season many more supporters came to watch the team and this was evident in the club house where it became party central on a Saturday night. For many years Abergavenny has prided itself with the success of their mini and junior sections, these efforts are paying dividends now with 90% of the senior squad having played for the town in these junior teams. With the new season fast approaching we are determined to build on our recent success, becoming a respected team in League 2 East, playing attractive rugby with a smile on our faces and challenging at the top half of the table towards the end of the season. Youth rugby has never been more important to our club, it is the level where players development is most apparent and prepares them for the big leap into senior rugby. We have always had to overcome the challenges of players going to university and the cream of the crop playing at a higher level, but with those who remain from the three age groups we try to create a tight team bond on and off the field which helps them play to the best of their ability. Major renovations and updating of facilities have been made in the club house over the last five years including a viewing balcony overlooking Bailey Park to increase “I had the honour of being one of the first mini players for that section some thirty years ago along with Richard Merchant who is still a great supporter of the club. As chairman for seven years now and VC for the previous three I’ve witnessed the changes and appreciate that these days it’s not so easy to give your time up for rugby in the way it was in my day, family and work commitments play their part. The cup run leading up to the final at the Principality Stadium and the way we won the final itself was outstanding and will definitely go down in club history. It inspired me to write a song for the club 46 Issue 88 capacity for big games, events etc. These improvements have resulted in the club hosting many more events in the community, thus changing people’s perception of the club to a place where they enjoy coming to. Major challenges facing clubs like ours are generating enough income to meet the ever-increasing overheads. Having a large club house and running thirteen teams which seems to have been picked up by the lads and our fans! I no longer play myself having managed to last till age forty as a front row prop but as chairman I am a regular visitor to the club. I have also been a sponsor of the club for many years with Beavans Family Butchers and wish everyone associated with the club the very best of success for the remainder of the 2019/2020 season!” Huw Beavan Mario Vandevyer moved with his family from Belgium to Abergavenny in 1966. He played rugby for the school before progressing to youth then senior rugby usually playing as a winger and continued coaching the youth once his playing days ended. He told Rugby Club Magazine, “It was a real honour to have been awarded the Presidents role of this great club three years ago and particularly to be part of last season’s historic win at The Principality Stadium. As a club we are renowned for developing our own players and in fact my sons Rhys and Ryan played for the club’s mini section, Rhys going on to win some district trophies. This season we have competed very strongly with fitness having always been a key element in our game. Nathan Thomas is doing a great job and we are holding our own in the new league. Our improved facilities coupled with our seniors success has added to the club’s atmosphere and you can hear rugby chat going on in our new clubhouse with much enthusiasm. Much of our club’s success has to be attributed to our fantastic senior committee of Huw Bevan, Colin Evans, David James and Richard Dixon performing a great service to the club. It’s great that the club are being recognised in Rugby Club Magazine and I wish everyone at Abergavenny Rugby Club the very best of continued enjoyment and success for many years to come!” from under 7’s to seniors takes a lot of funding. To achieve this we are heavily reliant on volunteers to become officers on the various committees giving vast amounts M.V. CONSTRUCTION LTD STEEL ERECTING SINCE 1979 M.L. VANDEVYVER - 07885 158350 R.J. VANDEVYVER - 07970 788254 1 Greystones Avenue • Mardy Abergavenny • Mon • NP7 6JX Email: [email protected] of time and effort to provide the community with a rugby club they can be proud of. Looking forward as a club we must endeavour to maintain the high standards we have achieved while improving the infrastructure in and around the club. On the playing front we will strive to provide a rugby club for the local people to play for on an amateur basis for their enjoyment and personal development. I became involved with Abergavenny Rugby Club seventeen years ago when my oldest son joined the under eight’s team. I was attracted to Abergavenny because it had a very vibrant mini section with good organisation and dedicated volunteers. I was soon drawn in to become involved with helping with the administration of the section before taking on the office of treasurer in mini and later junior sections. Article provided by Colin Evans “I was born and bred in Abergavenny and my earliest memories were watching the then Schweppes Cup as a 12-year-old. I started playing at around age nineteen as a winger up until my mid 30’s before I hung my boots up and commenced to coach with a little refereeing. Last year I decided to step back from my Junior Chairman position after a ten-year tenure but my boys, who are both products of our mini section still play. Rhys is an outside half for the youth team and Tomas is trying his hand at scrum half for the U16s. It would be great to see more facilities for young people in our area which would definitely improve numbers being attracted to the sport so we are hoping the WRU will put some additional funding our way for perhaps an all-weather pitch which would make a great difference for training and playing, last week we had to travel to Monmouth due to a waterlogged pitch. Last season was fantastic for our club and it was particularly memorable for my family as my nephew Rhys Dawe was part of the winning team at the principality last April. I wish all my friends and club members all the very best of continued success for the remainder of the 2019/2020 campaign!” Alun Jones Richard Dixon is the current Vice Chairman of Abergavenny RFC. He took time out recently to talk to Rugby Club Magazine, saying, “My relationship with Abergavenny Rugby Club started as a sixteen-year-old when I would play for the school in the morning and the club in the afternoon in their back row. I continued playing for the club till the age of forty but by this time I had been pushed onto the wing some might say I was useful as a formidable 18 stone plus winger and had the privilege of captaining the club throughout the 93-94 season as well as the honour of playing alongside some A internationals; not sure if being on the wing was the best position for captain from a communication perspective! My involvement continued with the club for five years as Team Manager as well as coaching when my oldest son joined the minis and my youngest boy aged 10 is now a current player.” www.rugbyclubmag.com 47